People Feeling Happy Usual Morning Real Sense Noun

• you'll soon be feeling your old self again (= feeling well or happy again).
• he's not his usual happy self this morning.
• only with a few people could she be her real self (= show what she was really like rather than what she pretended to be).
• his private/professional self (= how he behaves at home/work)

self

1. the type of person you are, especially the way you normally behave, look or feel
• You'll soon be feeling your old self again (= feeling well or happy again).
• He's not his usual happy self this morning.
• Only with a few people could she be her real self (= show what she was really like rather than what she pretended to be).
• his private/professional self (= how he behaves at home/work)
2. a person’s personality or character that makes them different from other people
• Many people living in institutions have lost their sense of self (= the feeling that they are individual people).
• the inner self (= a person’s emotional and spiritual character)
• a lack of confidence in the self
3. your own advantage or pleasure rather than that of other people
• She didn't do it for any reason of self.
• Self, self, self! That’s all you ever think about!
4. used to refer to a person
• You didn't hurt your little self, did you?
• We look forward to seeing Mrs Brown and your good self this evening.
5. to not have the strength, influence, etc. that you used to have
• When his career ended, he became a shadow of his former self.

Extra Examples

• He was afraid to reveal his innermost self.
• He’s his usual cheerful self again.
• Her private and public selves were vastly different.
• I was very thirsty (note to self: bring water on walks!).
• She knew his better self would struggle to serve her best interests.
• She knew that with a holiday he would be back to his former self.
• a book about reaching for one’s better self
• a movie about a boy who falls in love and finds his true self in the process
• He argues that there has been an increased focus on the self.
• He’s not his usual happy self this morning.
• It is now fashionable to concentrate on healing the inner self.
• Many people living in institutions have lost their sense of self.
• Only with a few people could she be her real self.
• Such problems stem from deep insecurity and a lack of confidence in the self.
• You’ll soon be feeling your old self again.

Word Origin

• Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zelf and German selbe. Early use was emphatic, expressing the sense ‘(I) myself’, ‘(he) himself’, etc.